Car roof



July 12, 1932- c. D. BQNSALL CAR ROOF Filed July 18, 1951 Patented July 12, 1932V CHARLES DAVID VIBON'iALIZr, OF PITTSBURGHL PENNSYLVANIA, ASSGNOR `T0 IP.

MURPHY COMPANY, OF NEW PENNSYLVANIA Animation mea 'my 1 8,

This invention relates to car roofs ofthe allsteel riveted-up type wherein the metal'roof sheets span the car from side plate to side plate and are rigidly connected along their adjacent margins by upstanding seams that function as outside carlines. The principal object of the present invention is an improved seam construction which will increase the strength and rigidity ofsuch roofs without increasing the weight thereof. Other objects are simplicity and cheapness of construction and compactness of design. The invention consists in the parts and in the construction and arrangement of parts here'- inafterdescribed and claimed. In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of the specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,`

Fig. l is a plan view of a car roof embodyinvention, 2 is aV vertical transverse section through one-half of the roof, on the line 2-42 in Fig. l, Y

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-section through one of the roof seams on theline 3-3 in Fig. 2; and

j Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Fig. 3 illustrating seamV constructions of modified form'. l

Referring to the accompanying drawing, my invention is shown in connection with a car roof comprising metal roof sheets A'that extend from side plate B to side plate B of the "car and slope downwardlyon opposite sides o f the ridge to the eaves. The side plates B are preferably of Z-shaped cross-section with the inner leg l upstanding and provided -at its top with an inwardly extending portion disposed at a proper elevation and angle for Vthe end portions of the roof sheets A torest side by side and are provided along their adjacent margins with upstanding seam flanges Y3that arebeveled or coped off at the eaves ends KENSINGTON; PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or cAn Boor:

fof said sheets. The body portions of the roof sheets are preferably offset upwardly adjacent'to the upstanding marginal seam flanges to form'4 raised panels 4 at the side margins of the sheets. Metal scam caps of substantially Lol-shaped cross-section are placed astride the side marginal seam flanges of adacent roof sheets and are rigidlyv secured to said flanges'by horizontal rivets 6, thereby forming rigid upstanding seams that function as exteriorcarlines for theV roof. The

seam caps 5 extend from? eaves to eaves of the car and are provided with outstanding base fianges' 7 that rest on the raised side marginal panels 4 of adjacent roof sheets and are-turnedV down at the eaves over the depending eaves flangesQ of saidsheets and rigidly secured to the side plate B by the securing rivets for said eaves flanges. The lseam caps 5 are of greaterdepth than the seam flanges 3 straddled thereby and gradually decrease in depth from the ridge to points adjacent tothe eaves where they are preferably curved downwardly over the bev eled or coped off eaves ends of said seam flanges 3 to close the ends of thesearns.

A running board 8 extends longitudinally of the car at the ridge and is supported on and secured to the lateral top flanges of angleshaped running board saddles 9 that are secured to the'sides of the seam caps 5 by the securing rivets 6 therefor.

The strength and rigidity of the roof is increased by means of reinforcing members embodied in the upst-anding roof seams. As

shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, the seam reinforcement comprises relatively thick filler plates 10 interposedbetween the upstanding seamV flanges 3 of adjacent roof sheets, which are spaced far enough apart to accommodate said filler plates between said flanges. The filler plates 10 extend longitudinally of the seam substantially from eaves to eaves and are rigidly secured in place within the seam by the securing rivets 6. The relatively thick filler plates extend above the seam flanges 3 into the upper portion of the seam caps 5 and thus tend to raise the neutral axis of the seam rand increase the strength thereof.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. r`

4, the seam has three relatively thin filler plates or strips 10a embodied therein, the middle filler plate being located between the sheet flanges 3 and the outer filler plates being located between said sheet flanges and the side walls of the seam cap 5. The three relatively thin filler plates 10a, which are rigidly held in place in the seam by the rivets 6, extend above the tops of the seam flanges thereby increasing the amount of metal at the top of the seam where it willtalre care of compressive stress and prevent buckling under beam action.

In the modified construction shown in Fig,

-; 5, the seam is also shown provided with three relatively thin filler plates or strips. In this construction, however, the middle filler plate or strip 10b extends below the roof and is bent laterally below one of the roof sheets to form a flange 10c adapted to support an inside roof lining or 'a load-lifting beam for the roof.

The hereinbefore described arrangement reinforces and stiens the seams and thereby increases the strength and rigidity of the roof as a whole. This increased strength is obtained without increasing the weight of the roof due to the amount of metal saved by spacing the sheets apart, the increased strength being obtained byl reason ofthe increased amount of metal in the upper portions of the seam caps where it will take care of compressive stress and prevent buckling under beam action.

Vhat I claim is:

l. A car roof comprising'exterior carline members, roof sheets connected along their adjacent margins by upstanding seams that function as exterior carlines, and a plurality of liller plates embodied in said seams and extending substantially from eaves to eaves, one of the filler plates on each seam having a portion extending below said roof for suspending a load therefrom.

2. A car roof comprising exterior carline members, roof sheets extending from side plate to side plate and provided along their adjacent margins with cooperating seam fianges, flat filler plates interposed between adjacent seams fianges and extending substantially from eaves to eaves, and means for rigidly securing said filler plates, to said seam flanges, the greater portion of said filler plates being above said means.

8. A car roof comprising roof sheets extending from side plate to side plate and provided along their adjacent margins with cooperating seam flanges, flat filler plates interposed between adjacent seams flanges and ext-ending substantially from eaves to eaves, and means for rigidly securing said filler plates to said seam flanges, said filler plates extending above the tops of said seam flanges with their lower extremities abovev said flanges.

4. A car roof comprising exterior` carline members, roof sheets extending from side plate to side plate and provided along their adjacent margins with cooperating seam flanges, relatively thick flat filler plates interposed between adjacent seam flanges and ez'rtending- -substantially from eaves to eaves, and means for rigidly securing said filler plates to said seam flanges with' the main portion thereof above 'said securing means, saidfiller plates extending above the tops of said seam flanges. Y

5. A car roof comprising roof sheets extending from side plate to side plate and rigidly secured thereto, said roof sheets being provided along their adjacent margins with upstanding fianges, relatively wide seam caps straddling said flanges and rigidly secured thereto, and fiat filler plates rigidly secured betweensaid flanges and extending substantially from eaves to eaves with the greater portion thereof above the securing means.

.6. A car roof comprising roof sheets extending from side plate to side plate and rigidly secured thereto, said roof sheets being provided alongtheir adjacent margins with upstanding flanges, relatively ywideV seam caps straddling said flanges and rigidly secured thereto, and filler plates rigidly secured between said ianges and extending substantially from eaves to eaves above the tops thereof into the upper portions of said seam caps and with their bottoms above the bottoms of said seam flanges.

7. A car roof comprising roof vsheets extending from side plate to side plate and rigidly secured thereto, said roof sheets being provided along their adjacent margins with upstanding iianges, relatively wide seam caps straddling said flanges and rigidly secured thereto, and relatively thick lller plates rigidly secured between said flanges and extending substantially from eaves to eaves above the tops thereof into the upper portions of said seam caps and with their bottoms above the bottoms of c said seam flanges. l

8. A car roof comprising roof sheets extending from sidefplate to side plate and rigidly secured thereto, said roof sheets being provided along ther adjacent margins with upstanding seaml flanges, a seam cap extending from side plate to side plate andstraddling said flanges and rigidly secured thereto, a filler plate rigidly secured between adjacent sheet fianges, and a ller plate rigidly secured between each side wall of each seam cap and the seamflange adjacent thereto.

9. A car roof comprising roof sheets extending from side plate to side plate and rigidly secured thereto, said roof sheets being provided along their adjacent margins with upstanding seam flanges, a seam cap extending from side plate to side plate and straddling said flanges and rigidly secured thereto, a iiller plate rigidly secured between adjacent sheets flanges, and a ller plate qrigidly secured between each side wall of each seam cap and the seam flange adjacent thereto, said liller plate extending above said flanges into the upper portion of the seam ca Y l1)0. A car roof comprising rooi:I sheets eX- tending from eaves to eaves thereof, said roof sheets being provided along `their adjacent margins with upstanding seam flanges, seam caps straddling said flanges and rigidly secured thereto, a lfiller plate rigidly secured between said flanges,` a filler plate located l between each side wall of eachseam cap and the seam flanges straddled thereby, and means for securing together said seam. iianges, the side walls of the seam cap and said filler plates, the ller plate located between adjacent sealn flanges extending beneath the roof and constituting means for suspending a load from said roof.

11. A car roof comprising roof sheets extending from side plate to side `plate and rigidly secured thereto, said roof sheets being provided along their adjacent margins with upstanding seam flanges, seam caps Y straddling said flanges, a iller plate located in each seam between the seam iianges thereof and rivets passing through the .searn cap, thev seam flanges and the ller plate of said seam, said filler plate extending above said seam flanges and having a portion that extends beneath the roof for suspending a load therefrom.

Signed at New Kensington, Pennsylvania,

this 15th day of July, 1931.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL. 

